


Romeo & Juliet of Garreg Mach

by RoaringTurtle



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: But its not a tragedy, Comedy, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, No TWSITD, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21893989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoaringTurtle/pseuds/RoaringTurtle
Summary: “Two houses, both alike in dignity,In fair Garreg Mach, where we lay our scene”Ferdinand and Ingrid just want to be together, but can they avoid tragedy when their houses completely despise each other?
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Ingrid Brandl Galatea
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	Romeo & Juliet of Garreg Mach

“What is going on here!” Seteth roared as entered the courtyard outside the classrooms to find complete chaos. All around him, the dignified and noble students of Garrag Mach, the future of their nations, had devolved into a brawl. Wooden training weapons and blasts of magic were being thrown left and right, so Seteth could at least take solace in the fact that they were avoiding the iron weapons. The only thing worse than dealing with these students was dealing with their self-important parents complaining about him not protecting their precious babies properly.

“You two,” Seteth lifted the closest students off the ground by their collars to separate them, but that didn’t do much as they still attempted to kick at each other while in his grasp. “What is going on here?”

“The fault is not our’s!” The normally polite Petra pointed an accusatory finger at Ashe, “The barbaric Blue Lions attacked us from the nowhere!” Seteth sighed as he realized what was going on here. This was going to be so much paperwork.

“How dare you!” The usually gentle Ashe shouted, “You deceitful Black Eagles provoked us first!” Seteth rolled his eyes as he handed the offending students to Shamir, who had arrived with the other teachers. Seteth scanned the melee for the usual ringleaders and saw Alois getting between Dedue and Hubert. The middle-aged man was dwarfed by the two students, but he was doing his best to keep them away from each other. Unfortunately, Hubert and Dedue had very long arms and could easily reach each other from over him. Catherine was doing comparatively better, considering the fact that she had stopped Sylvain and Caspar from hitting each other. Unfortunately, she had done so by knocking the two out. But the chaos was far from over, as wave after wave of students were joining the skirmish.

The Blue Lions and the Black Eagles got along like cats and dogs. Their countries had never gotten along, and even though this was a period of relative peace, their people still hated each other with a passion. Ever since the battle of the Eagle and Lion, the two countries had never forgiven each other. Naturally, they couldn’t leave this at the doorstep of Garrag Mach, so these fights continued at the school. Although it was usually just passive-aggressive remarks and minute harassments, it rarely escalated into violence, until recently.

This year, their House Leaders, the crown prince and heir-apparent of the Empire, detested each other with a passion, which was surprising considering Seteth wasn’t sure they had ever met before. And in their desire to impress the heirs to their nations, the houses had been getting increasingly disrespectful to each other, until finally erupting with brawls like this.

Oh, and the Golden Deer were here too, Seteth supposed as he held back their house leader.

“What do you think you are doing, von Riegen?” Seteth demanded, just stopping him from loosing an arrow at some student’s head.

“Oh, Mr. Vice Principal! What are you doing here? I was just getting involved in this interhouse fight,” Claude smiled back unabashed of his flagrant disregard of Garrag Mach’s rules.

“And who exactly are you fighting?” Seteth asked, seeing as no one was coming for the future leader of the Alliance, despite being an easy target while trapped by Seteth.

“Well I was with Dorothea,” he laughed, “But then she saw Felix, and they kinda forgot about me… But I was just about to get a sneak attack in!” The Golden Deer were technically rivals to the Black Eagles and Blue Lions too, but that was usually overshadowed by the other houses’ undying hatred of each other.

“You are supposed to be setting an example as a house leader!” Seteth scowled but released him. He would have to deal with him later. Seteth had bigger troublemakers to deal with.

Ferdinand von Aegir was going to be the next Prime Minister of Adrestia. His family had claimed that title for generations. Seteth had little love for the current Prime Minister, but his son seemed to be the good sort. Always earnest and willing to help, he simply wanted the best for his fellow countrymen. This was appreciated by Edelgard, who considered him a trusted advisor, despite complaining about how annoying he was.

Ingrid Brandl Galatea was the heir to House Galatea, not a major house, yet well connected. Her late fiance had been the successor of the Fraldarius dukedom, and she was childhood friends with Dimitri. She was a determined and responsible young lady, and her goal of becoming a knight didn’t seem far off. She was fiercely loyal and would gladly lay down her life to protect those she held dear.

These two were very promising individuals; they were model students in every sense of the word. Their only flaw is that they would always get drawn into these pointless melees to protect their house members. These two were constantly at each other’s throats and usually the center of these fights. Their pride in their country could be seen as they went all out against each other. It was so inspiring that it often encouraged other students to fight. And since it was a fight of this scale, the two of them must be nearby. He scanned what was supposed to be a hall of learning and found their silhouettes behind some bushes.

“Stop this instant!” Seteth shouted as Ingrid threw a punch at Ferdinand’s face. The Adrestian noble stumbled backward, cupping his nose. Personally, Seteth didn’t think she hit him _that_ hard, but Ingrid had always been deceptively strong.

“Oh! The pain! That was too cruel. I shall never forgive you for this,” Ferdinand moaned, he lowered his hand and revealed a bloody nose. Personally, Seteth thought it should have been more swollen, but he wasn’t a cleric so what did he know. Ingrid may have also given him a concussion since it appeared his speech had been affected as well.

“Alas! I too have been injured! By my nemesis!” Ingrid had a bloody nose as well. Seteth wasn’t exactly sure how she got it, but it was a mirror image of Ferdinand’s injury. She also sounded very stiff, perhaps as a result of her injury. But it looked like the two of them had lost any will to continue their fight.

“Honestly, what am I supposed to do with you two,” Seteth put his hand to his forehead, “Come along, I’m taking you two to the infirmary. And I expect both of you to _behave_.”

* * *

* * *

Ferdinand watched Seteth leave the infirmary. The Vice Principal had been hesitant to leave Ingrid and Ferdinand alone in the infirmary since Professor Manuela was nowhere to be found. Ferdinand and Ingrid were not the only injured students; she had others to attend to. But after his lecture, Seteth deemed them repentant enough, and after coercing a promise of nonviolence, left them to their own devices.

When Ferdinand was sure that Seteth was gone, he embraced Ingrid’s hand in his own.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Ingrid demanded, before furtively looking around her, “What if someone saw us?”

“I’m sorry, I just could not help myself!” Ferdinand laughed, “Our precious little time together was interrupted after all.”

“I know what you mean,” Ingrid relaxed when she saw that no one else was around, “But we were almost caught last time. If it wasn’t for the fake blood Seteth might have noticed that we were faking the fight…”

“And you thought that it was a foolish idea,” Ferdinand teased, bringing up when she laughed at him for always carrying that packet.

“Okay, I’ll admit it. Your fake blood saved us,” Ingrid laughed, and it was such a nice sound, Ferdinand thought. He just wanted to listen to it endlessly. “Where did you even get that anyways?”

“Hubert loaned it to me. Although he probably thought I was going to use it as a prank on the Blue Lions...”

“Well, then I should probably thank him. If only there was a way for me to do without both of us being branded traitors.” Ingrid joked in a way that made Ferdinand’s worries float away. Something about making light of their extremely dangerous situation made it easier to ignore the fact that if they were discovered, they would probably both be disowned and exiled. Humor makes the heavier topics easier to discuss after all. It also helped that his girlfriend’s smile could solve world peace and cure diseases.

When they had started dating, they had understood that it needed to be kept secret. No one would trust a Knight or Prime Minister that had connections to the enemy country. But there was something about Ingrid that made him want to take that risk.

“I must admit, I am a little curious about what he made this out of,” Ferdinand scratched at the fake blood on his nose, “It smells sweet.”

“How exactly do you smell a taste?” Ingrid teased him for his impossible statement.

“I will have you know that fragrance is a very large factor in how something tastes. That is why you can use the aroma of the tea to tell when it is just perfect!” Ferdinand insisted, to which Ingrid rolled her eyes.

“If you say so. Actually, I kind of want to taste the fake blood now…” Ingrid grinned, and her eyes locked onto Ferdinand’s nose.

It sent his heart racing.

She wasn’t going to taste it directly from his nose, would she? Of course not, that would be much too forward. They haven’t even kissed yet! They had only been dating for a month after all. But she was leaning in! Ferdinand could feel himself overheating as she got closer. He wasn’t ready!

Ingrid used her finger and swiped some of the fake blood from his pretend injury. She brought her finger to her mouth, tasting it. Ferdinand sighed in relief, but also a little disappointment.

“It’s almost like syrup,” Ingrid remarked, blissfully unaware of the magnitude of her actions on her boyfriend, who was red-faced. 

There was something about her being nearby, doing her usual thing, that made Ferdinand feel so… content. She was perfect. Without realizing it, he pulled her close.

“I love you so much,” Ferdinand mumbled as he held her tightly.

Ingrid took a moment to process the information before leaning into the hug, “And I-” Ingrid began but her eye caught something at the door, and she judo flipping Ferdinand onto the ground, “-hate you so much!” Ferdinand gasped for air as he got the wind knocked out of him.

“Hah! Nice one, Ingrid!” Sylvain cackled, but then started coughing because he was laughing too hard as he was carried into the infirmary on a stretcher.

“C’mon Ferdinand! You can’t just take that lying down! Get up man, I got your back!” Caspar demanded, despite also lying on a stretcher. 

Manuela and Gilbert, who had drawn the short straw among the teachers and were forced to carry the rowdy students, just looked disappointed in the violent students. In the confusion, Ingrid mouthed sorry at him, and Ferdinand gave his best attempt at a thumbs up while trying to get up. This was how they had to act whenever anyone else was around. Other than snide remarks and fights, the Black Eagles and Blue Lions avoided each other like the plague. As paradoxical as it may seem, fighting was the only chance at time together they could get. Whenever the two houses got into a brawl, the two would sneak off to have their trysts. 

“See you next fight…” Ferdinand whispered, and Ingrid gave a wistful smile in response.

* * *

“There will be no more fights!” Seteth declared at a mandatory assembly, “From now on, any student caught engaging in physical or magical alterations of any kind shall face immediate expulsion!” Naturally, this was met with a chorus of protests; this was a military academy after all. 

“What if the other guy starts it!?” 

“That’s way too harsh!” 

"Does that count sparring?"

“You can’t do that! My village paid good money to get me into this school!”

“We didn’t want to resort to such drastic measures either,” Principal Rhea stepped up against the jeers, “However you students have forced our hand. You have ignored our countless warnings, and now we must employ such dire methods to maintain order!”

“What a tyrant,” Edelgard shook her head with distaste next to Ferdinand, “Making it sound like it is _our_ fault. These guys are the ones doing this just for appearances. Do they truly believe this will change anything?” Ferdinand had to admit, she was right. The two houses would still loathe each other; this ban on violence would do nothing. Fights would most likely still occur, only in secret, such as harassment or pranks. But Ferdinand suspected this criticism might have been born due to Edelgard’s hatred of Rhea.

The brown-haired Imperial Princess was dignified and natural leader, but even she had her moments of hotheadedness. Although she believed in giving everyone an equal chance, regardless of background, she held a very public loathing of the Principal/Archbishop and the Blue Lion’s House Leader/Prince for reasons that none (save Hubert) knew.

“I too am greatly saddened by the fact that we can no longer put those dastard Blue Lions in their place,” Ferdinand monotonously added. But there was a grain of truth in that statement. The only time Ferdinand got to see Ingrid was during these brawls. What would they do now? In desperation, he scanned the crowd for his girlfriend’s familiar blond hair and eventually locked eyes with her striking green eyes awaiting his.

Very deliberately, she blinked in a very particular pattern, sending a message. To avoid getting caught, the two of them had learned all kinds of ciphers and codes to communicate without arousing suspicion. Once she was done, Ferdinand gave a response that he understood, and the two of them went back to being strangers. 

The message told him to visit her in the stables after curfew. The teachers had strict patrols after curfew, and getting caught could lead to a two-week detention. However, they tended to patrol more popular areas, such as the dining halls or the gazebo. After all, who would sneak out and risk getting caught just to go to the stables?

Ferdinand snuck out to the stables when he saw his house’s professor, Manuela, had passed the Black Eagle Dorm. With the quietest steps the noble could manage, Ferdinand snaked his way into the stables. The school was tranquil at night. Ferdinand never really liked the quiet, it always felt like something was missing. Ferdinand missed the hustle and bustle of students as the students went about their day. From the hushed whispers of gossip to the roaring of laughter, Ferdinand longed for the liveliness of the daytime. But the emptiness was necessary. As much as he longed to stroll the corridors of Garrag Mach with her, displaying his love for Ingrid, the world would never allow it. It was so contradictory. 

It tore up Ferdinand inside.

Fortunately, he didn’t need to dwell on it for very long as he got to the stables. Squinting so he could better see in the dark, he surveyed the area, to check if Ingrid had arrived yet.

“Down here,” Ingrid’s whisper directed him to the ground, where she was hiding in a stack of loose hay. Her hair may have been unorderly due to the static electricity of the hay, but Ferdinand thought she looked radiant in the moonlight. But he had no time to bask in her presence, “Get in quickly,” she started making a hole for him to climb into next to her, and only then did he remembered that this could be a matter of life or death if they were caught. Getting on the ground, he squirmed inside, when he felt something warm on his feet. 

“Disgusting! Someone must have been negligent and just shoved hay over horse manure instead of properly cleaning it!” Ferdinand complained, which led to outrage from Ingrid.

“Seriously? I can’t believe it! What the horses got sick from this? I need to get here tomorrow and get clean it properly!” Ingrid resolved.

“I need to be more vigilant as well!” Ferdinand agreed, “This kind of behavior should not be tolerated! It is as if they don’t respect these magnificent beasts.” He shook his head as he thought about the injustice faced by horses daily. Too many thought them to be simple beasts of burden, not understanding the true intelligence and gentleness of the animals.

“Agh! I’ll deal with it in the morning,” Ingrid grumbled, before her expression softened, “Hey, Ferdinand, what are we going to do?” 

“I do not know… People will get suspicious if they see us together. And we can no longer pretend to fight anymore… Ah! Perhaps we can meet in our classes! What is your group activity this week? I am to weed the courtyard.”

“I’m on a flying patrol,” Ingrid glumly informed Ferdinand, who gave a sigh of defeat, “And we can’t just keep sneaking out like this either, professor Catherine almost caught me! What can we possibly do?”

“You are not suggesting we break up, are you? Anything but that!” Ferdinand’s throat became dry at the thought. The last month of sneaking around had been so exciting and wonderful for him. He just couldn’t imagine going back to before he met Ingrid.

“No! No! Goddess no!” Ingrid vehemently denied the misconception, which was more than a little heartening for Ferdinand, “I know it may sound weird since we have technically never been on a date, but I don’t want this to end yet… I like you. So much.” Ingrid wrapped his hand in hers. She was so smooth; her lines and her hand.

“Hold on, was that true?” Ferdinand managed, despite his cheeks feeling so very warm, “Have we truly never been on a date?” When he was younger, Ferdinand had dreamed of all the places he would take his beloved. Some of them were unrealistic, such as a carriage ride over a rainbow pulled by unicorns, but some could still work, for example: an intimate tea party together at sunset. Although perhaps not at sunset, since that was too late for tea time.

“Well, when you think of dates, you think of the stuff couples normally do: like going shopping or eating together. We’ve never really had the chance to do any of that.” Ingrid’s observation caused Ferdinand to gasp in horror. How could he have failed so utterly as a boyfriend? He had to rectify the situation at once! He put a hand over his heart, which was difficult as he was lying on the ground, and made an oath.

“Then we must go on a date! Let us meet at the market place next Sunday!”

“We can’t just do that! What if someone sees us?” Ingrid whisper shouted.

“Then we shall have to wear disguises so we can remain hidden!” Ferdinand pushed on, which got the gears turning in Ingrid’s head.

“...We need to decide on the time then, and we have to choose a specific place too. Maybe it would be better if it was a busier time since we could hide in the crowd?” Ingrid’s businesslike tone made it hard to believe the two of them were planning a date.

“But would that not mean there is a higher chance of running into someone we know?” Ferdinand put his hand to his chin as he went into deep thought on the issue, “Also we need to determine where we are going. We must find the optimal time at each location to maximize our enjoyment, but minimize the risk…” The two of them kept working out their plan in the stables until they reached something they were satisfied with. Although Ferdinand was covered with straw and probably smelled like horse poop, he was just so excited. He couldn't wait!

* * *

“What are you wearing?” Ingrid pointedly asked Ferdinand on the day of the date, gesturing at his attempt at a disguise.

“Well in order to hide my face without being too obvious, I am using these lensless glasses as well as a false mustache to throw any onlookers off!”

“Your facial hair isn’t even the same color as your hair, anyone could tell it’s fake!” Ingrid ripped the mustache off his face, which smarted since the glue didn’t come off that easily. When he rubbed the affected area, Ingrid realized what she had done, “Oh! I’m sorry!” she apologized, “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“It is fine,” Ferdinand waved off her concern, “Although I ought to get something else to complete my disguise. I fear that the glasses alone would not be enough to hide my noble visage.”

“You’re right… How about we get you a scarf, like mine?” Ingrid suggested, pointing at her own disguise: a scarf that obscured half her face along with a hat. What she did not realize was the extent of the effect her simple statement had on the Adrestian Noble. After all, it had been his dream to wear matching clothes with the one he loved! Even though he was forced to keep their love a secret, this would be a statement: telling the world they were together! But not in a way that would tell anyone.

“I swear to treasure it for generations!” Ferdinand declared, which caused Ingrid to become bashful.

“You don’t need to exaggerate so much,” Ingrid told him, but she couldn’t hide the pride in her face when she bought him a matching grey scarf.

“If the Goddess were to strike me down, I would die with no regrets,” Ferdinand mumbled as she wrapped it around his neck

“Now you’re just being dramatic,” Ingrid rolled her eyes, before furrowing her brow, “Do you think it’s fine that if we went off schedule? We were supposed to go to the weapons merchant first…” Ferdinand made a mental note that Ingrid was also cute whenever she was worried. Could she do any wrong?

“It’s fine,” Ferdinand reassured, “I have not seen anyone yet. We might be able to just enjoy ourselves today.”

“That’s a first,” Ingrid giggled, “What do couples who aren’t always glancing over their shoulders usually do?”

“Am I supposed to know?” Ferdinand with a completely straight face, until neither could hold back their laughter. She was absolutely wonderful.

“Although I’m guessing most couples don’t go weapon shopping.” Ingrid managed once she wiped the tears from her eyes, “Sylvain would be so disappointed in us right now.”

“Isn’t he the one who you say always has the disastrous dates? Maybe he’s the one who is doing the dating thing wrong.” It was always strange to hear Ingrid talk about her friends in the Blue Lions. She always spoke of them so fondly. But Ferdinand found it hard to reconcile the Sylvain who stayed by Ingrid’s side while she grieved with the Sylvain who cussed at Linhardt for not moving out of the way.

“Don’t let him hear you saying that or he may take it as a challenge!” Ingrid jokingly warned him, so Ferdinand just decided to keep his mixed feelings to himself. But before long, they had arrived at the weapons merchant, with a small crowd around his wares. There weren’t too many customers though, so they were allowed to test the products.

“I’ve been having some trouble with armored knights recently…” Ingrid mused when they finally got to the swords, “Do you think I should get an armorslayer, or would that just be a waste of money?”

“Hm, how does the balance feel? If it is too off from normal, then it may be more of a hindrance than an asset after all.”

“I suppose…” She swung the sword a few times to test it. She must have been unhappy with it, as she placed it back on the rack. “Is there anything that caught your eye?” She asked after doing the practice swings since Ferdinand just seemed to be scrutinizing the weapons and armor on display. Honestly, Ferdinand was disappointed. Despite what the crowd might suggest, the selection was quite bare today. Earlier patrons must have already cleaned out the stock, although he supposed he didn’t mind it too much since he had such pleasant company.

“There are no particularly rare or exotic weapons being shown today. I shall come another time perhaps, so I may just buy some whetstones for now.” Ferdinand grabbed a whetstone, turning it over in his palm. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much time to appraise the tool as he heard familiar voices behind him.

“Get your filthy paws off the gauntlet, lion. I had it first.” Caspar spat, making Ferdinand jump with fear. He hadn’t noticed him at all! It would have been disastrous had Caspar recognized him with Ingrid, so he supposed it was fortunate he ran into another Blue Lion first.

“I don’t see your name on it,” Felix replied coolly, barely containing the contempt in his voice. Apparently he was Ingrid’s childhood friend and was actually sweet once you got to know him, but Ferdinand didn’t see it in the man who looked as if he was going to skin Ferdinand’s classmate.

“Whatever, just give it here. I was going to buy it.” Caspar snarled, snatched it out of Felix’s hands, which did absolutely nothing to deescalate the situation.

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Felix balled his fists, and Ferdinand wondered if they remembered that fighting would get them expelled now. It was a new rule, but the consequences would be dire! Was a gauntlet really worth leaving the school in disgrace? It would be very difficult to get any major position in an army or government without graduating from Garreg Mach.

“Felix, what do you think you are doing!?” Ingrid stepped in, grabbing the back of Felix’s uniform to keep him from attacking Caspar, right when Ferdinand did the same.

“Caspar, stop that this instant! Do you not recall the new rules!?” Ferdinand himself between the two combatants.

“Great! You’re here, Ferdinand! Let’s put these Blue Lions in their place,” Caspar pumped his fist, completely ignoring Ferdinand’s request.

“No, Caspar…” Ferdinand shook his head, but before he could properly explain how this would affect his future, Felix cut him off.

“What are you two doing here… together?” Felix eyed the two suspiciously, which was when Ferdinand realized that they had stepped in at the same time, from the same direction! What a disaster! They had been so careful too… 

“W-what do you mean together? W-we aren’t together! It’s a complete coincidence, I swear!” Ingrid blustered, fooling no one. Ferdinand adored her, but even he had to admit: her acting was terrible.

“Yeah, and you guys are wearing the same things too!” Caspar pointed out their matching scarves, which made Ferdinand want to curse his foolish past self. Once more his dramatic tendencies had been his downfall! His tender heart truly was a curse!

“Oh, this? Well… you see… even though I hate the Black Eagles so much, I also don’t want to see any Blue Lions expelled. So we were forced into this patrol to break up fights. This is a uniform we have to wear!” Ingrid bullshitted, so Ferdinand played along, even if it completely contradicted the last thing she said.

“Y-yeah! Seteth forced us to work together! I would never work with her otherwise, obviously! I hate the Blue Lions after all, obviously! But unfortunately, we must tolerate each other to protect our classmates… obviously!” Ferdinand could lie as naturally as he breathed. Unlike Ingrid, he had been an avid fan of the theatre as a child and had practiced his acting skills. But for some reason, no productions ever wanted to cast him… Probably because they didn’t want the other actors to get discouraged by being overshadowed by _the_ Ferdinand von Aegir!

“Alright, I _guess_ I can try to hold back if Ferdinand is too. After all, I’ve never met someone who hates the Blue Lions more than him after all.” Caspar nodded, probably thinking of all the times Ferdinand injected how much he hated the Blue Lions into everyday conversations.

“Fine,” Felix clicked his tongue but didn’t seem like he would start anything. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to completely believe their lie, but must have decided to let it go for now. Just to be safe, Ferdinand tried to avoid looking him in the eyes. “Let’s go, Ingrid. I can’t stand to look at these miserable eagles a moment longer.” Ingrid gave an apologetic look as she was led away but couldn’t say anything.

“Hell yeah! I got the gauntlet!” Caspar cheered, “C’mon Ferdinand, let’s go to the training grounds, I want to try it out!” Ferdinand sighed as he resigned himself to the sparring session. Usually, he would always be up for the challenge, but right now he just felt cheated since their carefully crafted date was over before it could truly begin. They had planned so much, and now they couldn’t do anything.

* * *

“Do you two know why I called you here?” Seteth asked Ferdinand and Ingrid the next day, and the two of them had a good idea of why. Seteth had called them into his office, probably about Caspar and Felix’s argument. Strangely enough, neither of them were here.

“Seteth, I promise that no one got into a fight at the market yesterday. Please do not expel Caspar!” Ferdinand insisted. Caspar might be impulsive, but he had a keen sense of justice! It would be a waste to let go of someone with so much potential just to send a message.

“Or Felix!” Ingrid reminded him.

“Or Felix,” Ferdinand added.

“No, your friends haven’t broken any rules, witnesses attested to that already. But I was interested in why you two of all people were the peacekeepers. I was under the impression that you two despised each other. However, after pondering it, I have come to the only possible conclusion for this sudden shift in behavior,” Seteth informed them, which caused Ferdinand to break out into a cold sweat. Ferdinand claimed that Seteth had forced them to do break up fights when the man in question had done no such thing. Had he heard their lie? Did he realize that they were on a date? What did he know?

“You two must have been moved by my lecture!” Seteth had the biggest grin at the thought of his words touching the hearts of the two students. 

“Yes! That is exactly what happened!” Ingrid jumped on the opportunity, “After you left, we realized that all the fighting is pointless, just like you said, and we decided to work together!”

“Professor Manuela told me you judo flipped him after I left…”

“It’s a work in progress,” Ingrid defended.

“Yes, but we truly believe that a silly rivalry should not be worth sacrificing our futures over, so we tried our best to mediate any disputes.”

“I am glad you two finally understand!” Seteth nodded in agreement, “Truthfully, I do not believe simply banning violence is the solution. The incident at the market proved that tensions between your classmates cannot simply be swept under the rug. That is why I wish to establish a sort of student based group to prevent any conflict between your two houses from inside. And I want you two to be the first members. Now, I know that you two may hate spending so much time working together, but I hope for both of your countries that we can bridge this divide! Will you two help me?”

“Well, I suppose if I must,” Ferdinand pretended to be reluctant, which was hard since his heart was pounding with anticipation.

“Alright, but I just want you to know that it’s not like I’m agreeing just because I want to spend time with Ferdinand!” Ingrid added.

“Excellent! Strange that you would specify that, but excellent! I shall provide further details once I iron out the details!”

Ferdinand and Ingrid could hardly contain their euphoria as they left Seteth’s office. But once they were alone on the staircase, they could finally release it. Ferdinand jumped with joy as he pumped his fist in the air while Ingrid shadowboxed some invisible foe.

“Who thought our lie would go on to become truth?” Ferdinand asked Ingrid, who seemed just as stunned as Ferdinand.

“I know right! I’m just so happy! I literally can’t stop smiling!” Ingrid pointed at her mouth, which held the most infectious smile.

“Can you believe it? We can finally meet in public!” Ferdinand's mind went to all the dates he had dreamed of that used to be impossible back when they were sneaking around at night or hiding away during fights.

“It’s not just that,” Ingrid started, “I _want_ to end the hatred between the houses, between the countries! I want to meet all of those friends that you speak so fondly of. Like outside of battles with them.”

“Ingrid,” Ferdinand was stunned. A sentiment as romantic as hers had no peer. All he could offer was simply pulling her close into a hug, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Ingrid mumbled, and started to laugh after a moment passed, “You know with our luck, I almost expected someone to walk in on us.”

“Well if we have privacy for once…” Ferdinand let his wicked impulses take over as he leaned in to kiss her. 

“Ow, my teeth!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> French Kisses are not the best idea for a first kiss


End file.
